Rajoy already received Humala in 2012, at the Moncloa./ Photo: RM/La Razón.
The Diplomat. Madrid
The Peruvian president, Ollanta Humala, is scheduled to carry out a State visit to Spain on 7 and 8 July, The Diplomat was informed by reliable sources. This trip will bring to a close the cycle of visits to Spain carried out by the four presidents of the founding countries of the Pacific Alliance –Colombia, Mexico, Chile and Peru–, which have taken place over the course of a little over one year.
Mariano Rajoy’s Government has always shown great interest in the Pacific Alliance, a regional group in which there are important Spanish interests and in which he sees great possibilities for its projection to Asia. In fact, Spain is the first country to join the alliance as an observer, with the backing of all its members.
The first to travel to Spain was the Mexican president, Enrique Peña Nieto, who did so in June last year, only a few days before the abdication of King Juan Carlos I in favour of his son, King Felipe VI, who had already been present in all the meetings between his father and the Mexican president.
After that, the Chilean president, Michelle Bachelet arrived in Madrid, at the end of October, with Felipe VI as Head of State. At the start of March it was the president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos that was landing in Spain.
The Peruvian president will be in Madrid on 7 and 8 July, following visits from Peña Nieto, Bachelet and Santos
Now, it will be Ollanta Humala who carried out a State visit which has long been expected. Not in vain, seeing as Spain is the principal foreign investor in Peru, with a stock of more than 5.6 billion euros in investments, thanks to the presence of key Spanish companies such as Telefónica, BBVA, Mapfre, Indra, Repsol, entre otras.
Just in the last year, three Spanish companies have been adjudicated important projects: Técnicas Reunidas, to modernise a refinery in Talara, in the north of the country; Enagas, to launch a gas pipeline in the south; and a consortium of companies, led by FCC and ACS, to build the second line for the underground in Lima.
The policy that Humala is carrying out, having distanced himself from Venezuela, is offering security to companies to carry out their investments in a country that is reaching high growth rates.
In addition, Peru is grateful to Spain for the effort expended by Spain to convince the European Union to cancel the visa requirements for Peruvians and Colombians. A measure that could become a reality before the end of the year.
